It was the only practice session of the day for the Cup drivers, and the weather was unusually mild for central Indiana in late-July with temperatures in the high 70s.

The drivers practice again Saturday morning and then qualify to set the 43-card grid for Sunday's race.

The opening practice Friday was not necessarily indicative of the strength of each driver's car. Teams typically use practice to test various car setups for the race and for qualifying.

Among other notable drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted the 10th-fastest time; Kyle Busch was 11th and Earnhardt teammate Jimmie Johnson -- a four-time winner of the Brickyard 400, including last year -- was 13th in his No. 48 Chevrolet.